


Oh, Darren, my Darren. You have the Kay to my heart.

by Original_Cypher



Series: The Sly Dog Chronicles: Vicissitudes of a human in a world that's... not. [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: ComicCon, Futurefic, M/M, People cosplaying as the pack, SuccesfulAuthor!Stiles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-08
Updated: 2013-06-08
Packaged: 2017-12-14 07:57:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/834525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Original_Cypher/pseuds/Original_Cypher
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's ComicCon, and Derek has had the stupid idea to wander around in the crowd before Stiles' first public appearance. It's creepy being around nerds cosplaying as people he knows. He's drowning in meta.<br/>What's ever weirder is people starting to discuss Kay and Darren's relationship with him. Because there is no way Kay's in love with Darren.<br/>Right?!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Oh, Darren, my Darren. You have the Kay to my heart.

“Awesome cosplay, bro!” Someone high fives Derek for the four millionth time and he has to fight the instinctual reflex to snap the guy's wrist. “Dude, you even have Darren's moody eyebrows down! Awesome.”

Awesome. Everything is _awesome_.

What the hell is Derek doing here? In the middle of a crowd dressed like him and the pack-... Well, mostly like him and Stiles. And Erica. And a few Lydias. Even though Red Ruby broke Kay's heart, the fans still like her powers of awesome. There is some resentment being felt, but _most_ of the fans are sane and don't take it out on each other for their cosplay choices. Although, he's seen it spark heated debates.

It feels massively weird to be here. Even if one manages to overlook the insane ComicCon crowd, the myriad of smells that unsettles the wolves' senses, and all the actual creatures he's met that mingle with the humans in costume.

Over the past five years, Derek has had time to adjust to Stiles being a writer and choosing his life, _their_ life, as an inspiration. Much to Scott's dismay, he isn't as predominantly portrayed in the series as he expected. Mostly, the first book places Sean and Kyle – nicknamed and signing K or Kay for short – as a duo of friends who find out about the supernatural and discover they are smack in the middle of a mythological turf war. Very quickly, Sean is swooped up in a love affair with someone belonging to a clan rivaling Darren's for territory and becomes less important. What he becomes, Derek has found, is a shitty friend, and he thinks Stiles' been really kind to him in the books, not that Scott is even aware of that. Kyle's position as the narrator and Derek's fictional alter ego Darren being the head of their little band of misfits, they mostly eclipse whatever bff bond there was before between Sean and Kay. Derek is aware of how on the nose the story is, when it describes Darren clumsily stepping into his role and the developing trust and friendship that slowly blooms and bonds the whole group. In the books, Darren becoming head honcho is legacy, destiny. As much as he enjoys the status and the power, Kay clearly perceives that Darren feels trapped in his role and sometimes clueless as to what to do, how to be better.

This, more than anything, has made Derek look at Stiles in a whole new manner, has made him value his opinions for their accuracy. Trust Stiles' instinct as much as his own. With pages and pages of character study on all of them, Stiles proved he could see through smoke screens and understand the unspoken. He proved he knew the alpha, even before he had made the conscious decision to open up to him. These days, Stiles is the first person Derek turns to when he finds himself unable to figure something out on his own. Stiles has become more than a very keen observer of the pack's inner workings. He is Derek's closest friend, and it translated into the fiction. After five books, Kay is still the oddball in Darren's entourage, but his place in the court isn't questioned or challenged anymore.

None of them, especially not Stiles, expected the series to be such a hit. If he had, Derek hopes he would have chosen a better pen name. _Sly Dog_ , really? But after all, it all started as a small literary blog.

Fast-forward five years in the future, and there Derek is, god knows why, not only at ComicCon supporting his best friend before his first time on stage but in the rapidly growing crowd of fans. This is Stiles' first ever public appearance. Nobody knows his face yet. At first the secrecy was just Stiles' self consciousness at work, but in time it's become a game he plays and he'll uses pictures of Golum or Gandhi or Shakira as his 'About Me' on his blog. It seems like a lot of people want to know him. There already are hundreds of people gathered for his first live interview, and the number keeps growing as people steadily file in in small groups. Derek is proud and happy, because he knows this goes beyond Stiles dreams, even if he also knows Stiles was awake half the night throwing up because he was – _is_ – terrified. Of people, of disappointing them. Of putting his wolves in danger. Of writer's block. Of losing his soul in all the showbiz. Because that's where Stiles is headed. Red carpets and big bucks. Kay's adventures have been made into a successful comics series, and today, they're going to announce that LionsGate and Gary Fucking Ross have signed in to make the first three movies.

Movies!

This is all too much press about their lives.

Then again. The books are about vampires.

“Holler's just a creep.” Someone pipes up behind Derek and he glances around. Oh great, a _girl_ , dressed as him. Well, as Darren. He feels a twinge of annoyance, because Holler is based on Peter. And while Peter is a creep indeed, the urge to rise up to defend _blood_ is strong. “And honestly, Darren's an idiot.”

“Thank you.” Derek says out loud. Because, hey, perks of looking like you're in costume.

The girl laughs and her group of – friends? Are they friends? People around here seem to flock and part fluidly. – grin at him, welcoming. “No, I mean, seriously. I love the guy. Obviously.” She gestures down at herself and her companions, two Stiles – no, two _Kays._ One female, and one male – and one Carver – Erica –, grin. Derek has to admit, he likes her look, which means she probably got him right. “But, I mean... I know the books are from Kay's point of view, right? But D seems convinced that-...” Derek finds it disconcerting, how people keep calling Darren D. That's he way Stiles will call him sometimes, looking like he let it slip and Derek doesn't know how to tell him he doesn't mind the nickname. Even though Darren is vampire royalty, and Red Ruby's a witch, sometimes, it feels like it hits a little too close to home. “... refused the bite from Holler, like, twice, is because he doesn't want to be turned.”

“That's true. It reads that way.” MaleKay says.

Derek backtracks the conversation. “Wait. What?”

“I don't think Kyle _wants_ to be a vampire.” FakeErica says. Her blond wig is terrifying. “I don't think he cares, either way. He loves who he is.” So far, Derek follows. “Although, ha, perk of immortality and all that. Who wouldn't like the upgrade?” Upgrade. Again, Stiles words. Not from the books, from his mouth. It's creepy. “Plus, being sidekick to a royal all this time's gotta make you aware and maybe a little bitter about what you're missing... but anyway... I think the number one reason why Kay would love to be turned is because it would mean being _wanted_. You know? In the fold.” 

The whole group nods sagely. “Chosen.”

“Yeah.”

“But... you said it yourself. He refused the bite.” Derek points out.

“He refused it from Creeper Holler!” Stiles' image saying 'Creeper Peter!' overlays MaleKay in Derek's mind. He briefly tries to recall whether Kyle ever uses the phrase in the books. Maybe people just talk like that in this world. No wonder Stiles is their god. “Not because he doesn't want it. Because he's always wanted it from Darren.”

All thoughts of Stiles' belonging with this crowd evaporate from Derek's mind. “He... what?”

“Dude, what have you been reading?!” FemDarren punches his shoulder with a laugh. “You're really in character, aren't you? Just as thick as D.” The group giggles. “Kay is so in love with the guy, it's not even funny.”

Derek blinks. He needs to reread the books. He needs to... first, he needs to sit down. Then re read the books and... try to piece what's real and what's fiction here.

“It's not that he doesn't want to be part of the coven-...”

“He _is_.” Derek finds himself growling despite his stunned state. It's instinct to correct such an assumption. Stiles is _pack_ , period.

“I meant _real_ coven. Not second class, human members. It's not that he doesn't want to be part of it. He _can't_. Not unless he's Darren's pledge.”

“...wh...” _Pledge_. Stiles and him argued about the word. It means _mate_. Werewolves don't have mates, but the animal and canine relation made Derek defend that it was too similar to actual facts and could put them all in danger. Hence the word pledge, instead.

They think Stiles wants to...

“It'll never happen, man.” NeonBlondeCarver sighs, ignoring how winded Derek looks.

“Come _on_!” FemaleKay whines. “I'm still holding on hope.”

“Darren's so blind to it.” FemaleDarren sighs. “Look. It even escaped some of the readers. Which, seriously?” She gestures at Derek like he's-... Like he's _Sean_. “It'd take Kay to actually slap it in his face and you _know_ he'll never do that.”

“Yeah, no. That's true. Kyle's perfect with being all up in your face about your bullshit and important stuff, but when it comes to feeling feelings? Pssh... Nobody's there. Worse than Darren, even. Darren doesn't know why he's pissed, but at least he knows he's pissed. You know?” 

Something that kept Derek reading through the books even though he knew the story, was the way Stiles could write anything, even betrayal and death scenes and sex scenes with poetry. He changed natures to keep his friends safe, but also to surprise even them. He made Sean stay human – Scott thinks it's because that's how he would like to have remained, Derek believes that he doesn't deserve to be made special twice. He turned werewolves into vampires, immune girls into wicthes and Deaton into a skinwalking shaman. He blew up the school, Kay never even got on the football team. Sean never made it past the bench because of his bad heart and found out his father was part of group devoted to slaying vampires. But what Stiles managed that kept the pack on their toes, made them keep reading even though they lived through the big storylines, was his vibrant characterization. He changed a few things, personality traits, living conditions, family trees, but at their core, Stiles got every single one of them exactly right. To the point where people got mad at their portrayed flaws instead of admitting to them. Derek always enjoys Kyle's assertiveness and how he bullies Sean and Darren into getting their head out of their asses every hundred pages or so. Just like Stiles does it in real life.

FemDarren gets a vulnerable look to her. “Maybe something will happen. Something that'll make Darren realize his own feelings. I mean, fuck, you can't be so protective and possessive of someone without... you know.”

MaleKay rubs his hand comfortingly on her shoulder and she gives him a crooked smile. Oh. Fakehim is crushing on MaleFakeStiles. Wonderful. Derek feels a headache coming on. Or maybe a panic attack.

“Knowing Sly Dog,” CarverWannabe huffs. “It'll happen the day Kay dies.”

FemKay's hand flies to her mouth. “Oh my god, that's _so_ possible.” She takes a hold of MaleStiles' sleeve in distress. “He can't do that, can he? He wouldn't. Not to _us_.” Derek would think the way they all look heartbroken by the idea is funny, if the books weren't so closely following real events. If his mind wasn't completely blown right now. “Right?”

“They said there would just be one last book after this one, right? What if that's it?! What if Kay dies at the end?”

“That would suck balls, man!”

“But even that, guys... unless... something happens, like... they argue and end up making out or something... even if Darren realizes he feels the same... Kay would never accept it. See it for what it is. He'd think it a fluke. He's not...”

“He doesn't feel worthy.” CarverCopy says flatly.

FemKay nods, defeated. “Yeah.”

“What do you think?” Someone asks Derek, while he's too busy reeling from 'Kay wants to be turned', 'Kay is saving himself to be Darren's pledge' and 'Kay doesn't think himself worthy of devotion'.

“Uhh...”

They give him a strange look, and he thinks it might be his cue to bolt – _why_ is he even still here, anyway? – and find a dark and quiet place to freak out in peace until Stiles comes in and makes the world make sense again.

Ugh. Why does it have to be Stiles that always helps him piece things together?!

“Derek?” Stiles' voice calls out and Derek thinks he's wishful thinking. “Is that-...?” But when he turns, here Stiles is, squeezing a notebook to his chest like it's a body armor, shrinking in on himself and wide-eyed behind his glasses. “What are you doing here?” The group of fans behind Derek are watching curiously. From what Derek has experienced today, these people are a very inclusive community, always willing to meet new people and welcome them. So naturally, they're looking expectantly at them for some introductions. Derek can tell Stiles is hitting levels of stress akin to 'I just got cornered by a kanima'. To be fair, his heartbeat has been in overdrive for nearly forty eight hours – since they got here – so it's not really a tell anymore. “Ha, ha. You're here. Funny. Cosplaying as Darren.” Stiles grips Derek's sleeve. “My friend. What a joker. Ha!”

Derek follows numbly as Stiles drags him away, unsure whether he's grateful or just stunned. The fans are giving him them odd looks. And really, when the ComicCon crowd thinks you're weird, be ashamed.

They stop out of earshot, and Stiles lets go of Derek, going back to clutching his notepad. He looks too pale, and Derek wonders if he's been sick again recently – he was fine after breakfast this morning when he last saw him, just before Scott whisked him off to his interview with SourceFedNerd – or if he feels queasy now. “Hey, you okay?”

He knows Stiles is torn about today. He's completely overwhelmed with pride and self consciousness and stress and happiness that this is all for his work. But at the same time, he mourns the fact that he will never be a simple guy going to ComicCon ever again. He doesn't expect people to swarm him like they would Robert Downey Jr, but there is always someone to recognize you and trail after you with questions. And that leads to more people with more questions, and autographs. Derek is confident that Stiles can deal with that, but he gets that fame isn't what he was looking for and it makes him uncomfortable. Still, he can't play Daft Punk forever. People will know his face today.

So this is it, Stiles' last moment as a convention attending geek. “Are you? What's... why are you here?”

The whole pack is in town, Stiles knows it, they're all staying in consecutive suites at the hotel. What he means is _here. Now_. As if Derek was going to miss him walking on stage. “It's your big day, Stiles.” He looks around. The crowd as grown even more since he last took a tally. “We're all here.”

Stiles shrugs, his eyes flicking over Derek in front of him, then to the crowd. He looks overwhelmed. “Man, there are a lot of us-es here.”

Derek snorts, then cringes when he catches FemDarren giving him a grin from where she is.

“I never thought you'd come.” Stiles is saying, and Derek has to turn back because... what? “You think my books are silly.”

“I never said that. I said I already knew the stories.” Stiles ducks his head, and Derek feels like an ass. He wants to find the words to say that, yes, he knows the stories, and it doesn't mean what Stiles thinks it does. Because Stiles has taken true events and rewritten them, made them beautiful, riveting and full of insights and feelings. He could tell, while reading – and also, witnessing – Stiles chose words carefully and twisted things around to keep even his pack interested. After all, Scott hasn't been cursed into being a merman. Yet. Stiles has had to make up lore and magics to compensate for the shift to vampires and... Yeah, okay. So maybe Derek knows the real stories, but... “Or at least I thought I did.”

Stiles' eyes snap to his from where he was examining FemaleDarren and FemaleKay with amusement. “What?”

“Is Kay in love with Darren?” Derek blurts out before he can figure out whether he wants to ask or not. He spins it on Stiles unexpectedly, while he's distracted by silliness around him. It's cruel, like the emotional whiplash Stiles is so good at, but it's the only way he can hope to have an honest first reaction.

Which turns out to be shock. Stiles' eyes widen and he grips his notepad harder, letting out nervous laughter. “Ha, ha. I see you've met slashers.” He rushes out in a voice that gives Derek the creeps. “Don't pay atten-...”

“Are you in love with me?” Derek can hear Stiles' heart racing. It's not a big help, given the circumstances. It's terrifying for a born werewolf, to realize that you're going to have to trust an answer as it is given to you.

Stiles is flushing with embarrassment, or nerves, and he recoils. “Dude, this is ComicCon. I'm about to go up there, could you-...”

“You're _mine_.” Derek barks. He means to help Stiles, reassure him – the idea of second class human pack members still stings. He doesn't mean to... fucking _claim_ like that.

Stiles blinks at him. “What?”

“You're mine.” Derek steps closer. “I've felt this way for years. You're pack, and you're mine. And I just didn't know what this meant.”

Stiles gapes at him.

Derek is jamming his finger in the direction of the group of fans that shattered his world view. “Please, tell me whether they're right and Kay is just waiting for Darren to get his head out of his stupid ass.”

Stiles shifts feet. “I don't think the public would respond-...”

“The _real_ ones.” Because Stiles knows the question already and this isn't the time to fuck around.

“Yes.” Stiles snaps, cool voiced and determined. “I'm in love with you.” He looks sad and scared, like he's saying goodbye to their friendship right in this spot. “I think I've always been so.”

“Stiles...” Stiles turns his head and glares at something in the distance. It's typical of him. He doesn't want to look at Derek when they fight, he won't give him the satisfaction of seeing how effected or hurt he is, but he stubbornly refuses to be the one to walk away, whether to admit defeat or be the bigger man. This is why their clashes are legendary, because none of them refuses to back down. In time, in the name of friendship and growing up, they have learned to take deep breaths, and cool things down in the heat of the argument and analyze why they are so angry. Right now, though, Derek thinks all the analyzing and over-thinking has already been done. By people that are not them, that don't know the real story. And he won't let that fuck them up. “Stiles.” He repeats, coaxing. Stiles startles when Derek's fingertips graze his neck, like he expected the alpha to withdraw instead, to walk off. “I think I have a few ideas on how Kay could put the moves on Darren.”

Stiles' heart gives a louder, harder pang. And it sounds full of fear, and _sorrow_ , and he just can't take it. “Der-...” He cuts Stiles off with his lips.

The Carver cosplayer slaps the back of her hand against FemKay. “Hey, babe, check it out. GrumpyDarren worked it out.”

They turn in time to take in Stiles' shocked expression, Derek's hands on his face and FemDarren giggles quietly. “Atta boy.” She says to herself as Stiles swallows, lets a small smile show, and pulls Derek back to him.

“Dude, that looks like a first kiss.”

FemDarren grins and bites her lower lip. “Yes, it does,” she agrees, as Stiles unceremoniously drops his notepad, pushes into Derek and gets a grip on leather, holding on for dear life.

“God, it's hot.”

It's frantic, and albeit pg rated, kind of inappropriate for the venue. This is comic con, though, and this is a Sly Dog expo, so the people that noticed are grinning and cooing or scoffing gently. Derek and Stiles aren't paying them any attention, too wrapped up in each other to even notice.

That is, until Scott approaches with a smirk and picks up Stiles' discarded notepad. The group watches from a distance as he pokes his best friend in the shoulder and makes a show of coughing. The kiss breaks and Scott speaks. Stiles blushes profusely. Derek grins to himself against Stiles' temple and keeps him close, unwilling to let go just yet. Stiles seems content to hide his flush in his shirt a little while longer. Scott is insistent, however, and is tugging Stiles away. He has duties to fulfill, crowds to please. Before he gets overwhelmed by stage fright, Derek nuzzles his hairline and whispers something in his ear that makes him blush violently. Stiles swats Derek's chest before he walks off with Scott.

“I mean it!” Derek calls loud enough that they can make it out.

Stiles turns back, still following Scott, and points at him. “Hey! Who's the sly one out of you and me, huh?” He sticks his tongue out between his teeth, then, turning the finger on himself.

“I'm not a dog, Stiles!” Derek yells over the noise, grinning.

Scott is handing Stiles a pass and... they're being hushed behind the barriers! FemDarren stares as DarrenGuy – Derek? – is joined by a tall black dude and a blonde chick with a wolfish smile. Man, they have the Darren/Vincent/Carver cosplaying down _pat_... 

Wait.

“Holy shit.” FemCarver gestures in the direction Stiles and Scott left. “They went...”

“Was that Sly Dog?! He's the-...”

FemDarren is still stuck on the group that's still in sight. The blond woman is laughing at DarrenGuy, then VincentDude is punching his shoulder with a deep, velvety laugh. The CarverGirl – who fairly out-cosplays everyone around, even the real blondes – hooks her hands into her companions' elbows and drags them away. They disapear into the crowd, somehow, FemDarren has an idea where they're headed. “Guys... Did we... what if the books are...?” She turns to them. “You know how the books are more or less always from Kay's pov and never ever you see inside Darren's head?”

“Yeah, because Kyle's the one telling the story. Darren's the mystery.”

FemDarren catches Carver's eye, because she knows she caught on to where she's going. “Or what if it's Kay actually writing the story?”

“Like... what if Kyle exists? You know, a real guy. What if... You know, what if we were just talking to Darren? The real Darren.”

“N-...” MaleKay squints, considers it. “ _Noo_...” he drags out, stuck between 'no way, nu huh, not possible' and 'no way, this is awesome!'.

FemKay jumps. “Oh! My god, did we just out Kay to Darren?” she gestures to where Derek and Stiles' heated kiss took place moments ago. “Did we just... make that happen?!”

“I think we did!” Carver grins at her.

“Oh, that last part, I'm sure we did.”

FemKay is straining to look for Derek. “Where is he? Where has he gone?”

“Dude, he just made out with Sly Dog, he must be backstage!”

“Jesus.”

“It can't be rea-... Oh my good, look, it's actually him! It's Sly Dog!” People have started to cheer. MaleKay points as Stiles walks out on stage with the interviewer, nervously wiping his palm on his jeans. “The guy we saw... It has to be, right?”

They stare for a while, stunned silent, overcome by a certainty. “Guys. We met Darren.”

“The slash fic is real.”

“I wonder if this we're going to end up in the last book.”

Someone giggles.

“Oh, shit!” FemDarren thinks off the couple that came to fetch their – apparently real! – Darren before the show. “You think they're vampires?”


End file.
